For years now Orangeline Farms and their brand Zing! Healthy Foods have been winning awards for their produce, but this year at Greenhouse Canada’s Grower Day two of their growers, Steve Stasko and Saman Soltaninejad, took home the honour of being two out of the Top 10 Under 40 for 2018. This national honour by Greenhouse Canada recognizes the best and brightest of the next generation of leaders in the greenhouse industry who demonstrate a strong work ethic, leadership and initiative, lifelong learning and/or active participation in the industry. According to Orangeline Farms, Steve and Saman encapsulate these prerequisites wholly.
“We were excited to welcome Steve to our team in May of 2012 as assistant grower,” said Duffy Kniaziew, president of Orangeline Farms. Steve Stasko, a third-generation farmer, graduated with an honour’s bachelor degree in agriculture from the University of Guelph in 2011. He has since been promoted to Grower and is in his fourth year of successfully growing greenhouse strawberries, as well as implementing some other cutting-edge technologies at Orangeline Farms. “One of the biggest components of my job that continues to motivate me is Orangeline’s mantra of being different from anyone else in the industry and a strong focus on research and development,” said Steve.
Saman Soltaninejad (left) and Steve Stasko (right)
Saman Soltaninejad took a long journey to arrive at Orangeline Farms. Following his bachelor’s degree in crop protection at the University of Tehran, he obtained his master’s degree in plant pathology and biological control. He worked hard in some key commercial agricultural positions in Iran before moving to Belgium to conduct and publish research on biological controls of pests and diseases. When he arrived at Orangeline Farms, he was hired as a Bioscout, then promoted to IPM (Integrated Pest Management) Coordinator and now Grower. “Saman is an excellent student and most importantly a teacher,” said Duffy Kniaziew. “He is an excellent leader in all endeavours he encounters from the challenge of attacking pest and disease head on, to managing a chemical-free greenhouse with a multilayered biological system, as well as managing a diverse work force.”
This year’s winners were announced on Grower Day put on by Greenhouse Canada in Niagara Falls, Ontario on June 20, 2018. Orangeline Farms could not be more proud of these two accomplished gentlemen and can’t wait to see what their future in the industry holds for them.
For more information:
Jordan Kniaziew
Zing! Healthy Foods
Tel: +1 (226) 280-1025